How we work

We’re the YMCAs global lead in youth enterprise and employment.

Part of the world’s oldest and largest global youth movement.

Through our partnerships with YMCAs and other community-based organisations, we create opportunities for the most disadvantaged young people to achieve their aspirations by getting into work and out of poverty.

Today we work in 15 of the world’s poorest countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America transforming the lives of over 59,000 young people and their communities every year.

We believe young people are catalysts for change in their own and others’ development. As the beating heart of the communities we work in local YMCA’s are best placed to help them fulfil their potential in body, mind and spirit, and realise their rights.

Our strategy is ambitious, bold and collaborative. We promise to support young people to:

Get young people into sustainable work

Equipping young people with the skills, resources and networks they need to get work.

And ensuring that they have the knowledge and confidence to sustain, or rebuild, their livelihoods when disaster strikes.

Our Work

We help young people in chronic poverty move to financial sustainability, equipped for whatever the future may hold.

The average monthly income of a young person increases from £13 to £35 within just six months of completing a Y Care International training programme.

Last year we enabled over 3,000 young people to establish their own business, boosting their incomes dramatically and transforming their lives. It costs just £200 to train a young person in literacy, numeracy or other vocational skills through our training programmes.